Amtrak has announced the completion of recent track improvement work between Chicago and St. Louis.
The completion of this season’s upgrades to Union Pacific’s tracks means all five round-trips on the corridor will be by train – without scheduled detours or chartered motorcoaches.
The operator is giving passengers a discounted ticket as their way of ‘saying thanks’ for being patient during the improvement works.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) selected Illinois to receive $1.1 billion for corridor improvements to bring 110 mph (177 kph) passenger rail service to Illinois by 2014.
The State of Illinois showed its ‘financial commitment’ by providing more than $42 million in capital funding.
Earlier this year, Illinois was selected by to receive $186.3 million in additional FRA funds to further upgrade the route and provide high speed service between Dwight and Joliet.
